Title: Housing Specialist
Reports to: Program Manager, Supportive Housing
Directly Supervises: None
Summary of Job:
The Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP), one of San Francisco’s leading family service agencies, works in partnership with families to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
HPP’s Housing Subsidy Programs identify vulnerable families who are homeless and help them to secure housing in San Francisco through the use of rental subsidies and support services, thus ending homelessness for the families and putting them on a path to lasting stability. The program requires a small support team for each participant family, and the Housing Specialist will need to collaborate with multiple involved parties to ensure successful outcomes for the families.
The Housing Specialist will be the point person for implementation of the subsidy, with responsibility for screening candidate families; assisting them in securing suitable housing opportunities; preparing families for accessing rental subsidy funds for which they are eligible; supporting families in working to remove barriers to housing; assisting families in securing housing opportunities; coordinating monthly payments to landlords; and supporting successfully housed families with any housing-related problems they may be experiencing.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Connecting Families with Housing Opportunities:
- Assist with weekly Housing Workshop to support housing search skill development.
- Schedule one-on-one appointments with participating families for housing search.
- Support case manager efforts to coach families on self-awareness, presentation, and appropriate dress for encounters with landlords and property managers.
- Run credit reports for clients and coordinate with case managers to offer appropriate referrals for addressing barriers to housing access (such as Financial Coaching, Eviction Defense Collaborative, others).
- Assist in housing search, applying for market-rate, BMR, affordable housing, and other low income rental units, as well as payment of application fees.
- Work with HPP Case Manager and Program Manager to match families to available housing resources appropriate to the family.
- Accompany participating families to open houses and apartments showings, provide a portfolio to the landlord explaining the specific program into which the family has enrolled, and how HPP supports each family with Supportive Housing Case Management services.
- As necessary, prepare clients for housing (move-in procedures, lease signing, etc.)
- Complete housing assistance process with HPP Housing Services team for deposit/move-in cost.
- Compile housing resources in other countries-eviction resources, PG&E, phone, etc.
- Complete an assessment with each family around PG&E, phone, etc.
- Understand and assist with turning on utilities in a timely manner.
- For clients housed on temporary funding, help to successfully exit the subsidy by locating permanent affordable housing opportunities and enlisting case manager support for the application process.
Landlord Liaison:
- Establish and maintain relationships with landlords who are open to housing families via SHARE, other HPP subsidies or Section 8.
- Act as point of contact for prospective landlords.
- Offer mediation and negotiation with landlords renting to clients.
Administration:
- Input all required data into the HPP Salesforce (HENRI) database and San Francisco’s Homeless Management Information System, the One System, on a timely basis.
- Keep accurate, up-to-date, confidential documentation of client contact and activity.
- Client notes input into HENRI and the One System within 24 hours of client contact.
- Work with finance in ensuring accurate payment requests for subsidy-related payments.
- Schedule and attend weekly individual supervision meetings.
Core Competencies:
All HPP Staff are expected to meet the expectations of our Core Competencies:
- Accountability and Reliability: Shows up for the team, the clients, and the organization; takes responsibility for actions, and follows through on tasks and projects.
- Collaboration: Helps colleagues as needed, views responsibilities as shared; Actively participates in agency-wide initiatives/ efforts.
- Communication: Uses effective written and oral communication with coworkers and community served; understands emotions of self and others, and responds with empathy.
- Continuous Learning: Demonstrates curiosity and eagerness to learn and develop professionally.
- Equity Mindset: Understands and is committed to goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion and fostering an inclusive environment; consistently centers equity in the organization’s work both internally and externally.
- Proficiency in area of focus: Has skills and knowledge in role and area of focus.
Qualifications:
- AA/Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field (work experience accepted in place of degree).
- Spanish fluency preferred
- Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills; detail-oriented
- Passion for serving low-income families
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and culturally diverse environment
- Understanding of the intersection of racism and poverty and a commitment to social justice, anti-racism, and HPP’s mission and organizational values.
- Able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
- Understanding of the intersection of racism and poverty and a commitment to social justice, anti-racism, and HPP’s mission and organizational values.
Preferred:
- MSW degree welcomed.
- Existing knowledge of San Francisco low-income housing.
- Proven ability to work in a diverse and stressful environment with families that present multiple issues.
HPP recognizes the value of having a staff that brings a wide range of perspectives to this work based on language, ethnicity, race, gender, socio-economic background, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and disability. We are committed to maintaining a diverse, multicultural working environment and particularly encourage applications from candidates with lived experience in the communities we seek to serve.
Physical Requirements: This position requires the ability to work under stress and handle multiple project deadlines. This position requires an annual tuberculosis test and may require moderate lifting.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: California Driver’s license and insurance preferred, not required.
Work Environment: Fast-paced, multi-cultural, collaborative work environmentHours: Full time - 39 hours/week
Salary: $73,968 + excellent benefits package
FLSA Status: Non-exempt
Please send a cover letter and resume to with Housing Specialist as the subject line. Applications must have the job title in the description to be accepted.
About HPP
Founded in 1989, the Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP) is a nationally recognized family resource center in San Francisco that empowers homeless and low-income families, particularly mothers motivated by pregnancy and parenthood, to find within themselves the strength and confidence they need to transform their lives.
HPP helps families become healthy, stable and self-sufficient. We focus on the social determinants of health, supporting both parents and children in order to strengthen the whole family. With services ranging from emergency support to intensive case management, the agency partners with parents to address family needs during the critical years from pregnancy through kindergarten.
The first agency in San Francisco to hire former clients as staff, HPP’s evolution has been guided by the community it serves. More than half of HPP’s immensely talented staff of 125+ come from the community and/or are graduates of the agency’s Community Health Worker Apprenticeship Program, which trains individuals for careers in the nonprofit sector.
Over the years, HPP has received considerable recognition for its service to the community. In 2022, we were named “Nonprofit of the Year” by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and our work has been highlighted by The New York Times, CNN, KQED, The Huffington Post, People and The San Francisco Chronicle. Additionally, HPP receives consistently high ratings by leading philanthropic evaluators such as Guidestar and Charity Navigator.
The Homeless Prenatal Program is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $70,446.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b) matching
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- What interests you about this position and working at Homeless Prenatal Program?
Education:
Experience:
- Salesforce: 1 year (Preferred)
- Landlord-tenant law: 1 year (Preferred)
Language:
Ability to Commute:
- San Francisco, CA 94110 (Required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in San Francisco, CA 94110
